Whew! I can get my routine back on track. School is back in and Kerwyn is back at work. Not that I don't love having him around - I really do. He does yard work & manly fixing things. When the kids come around harassing me "Can I have ... Can you make ... Where's ..." I can re-direct them. "Go ask your Dad." Mostly that's a conversation stopper, and even if it's not then it's not my problem. 
Win/Win. So it's great having Kerwyn around. Except I don't like doing a lot of housework with him around. Not that I've had a lot of time for that sort of thing what with the knitting deadlines that I've had. 
I just really don't like cleaning around him, feeling like the maid. I mean, if I had the cute little outfit and there was going to be a little big something in it for me, then that would be different, but I don't so there isn't so I hate it.
Kyle didn't want a "1st day" picture taken and I forgot to take one of Amanda in the morning, but here she is doing a bit of homework 
after school. She also made the necklace that she's wearing. 
Beading is the hot thing right now - you can tell by going into Michaels and walking up and down 3 aisles + the end displays of beading supplies.
And what does this moon mean? 
My grandmother always talked about the moon and different colours and what they portended. She absolutely lived by her Farmers' Almanac. A bright ring of light has to mean something - a harvest moon? impending Apocalypse? another Fastest Knitter win? Someone help me out here!!!
Saturday I am going to be working at The Needle Emporium so if you're going to be anywhere near Ancaster, ON - please stop by and say "hey". You don't have to buy any yarn or yarn accessories. I mean, you can if you want and I am more than qualified to hook you up with a fix help you pick out the perfect yarn for the perfect pattern. (And when I say "qualified" I mean that as an Enabler without a support group, I won't be able to stop myself from gushing about any number of great yarns/books/needles and your options are to nod agreeably, purchase something anything and back out of the store slowly or to sit and knit with me.)
Lacy Riverine is coming along nicely - I am going to try to block out the scarf and headband tomorrow and will take a picture to share.
Let's pretend that this is Monday and I'm here with the picture that I promised.
Blurry, but you can see the whole body
Not a cropped cardigan
Fiona & Rob came to pick it up today and of all of the things that Amanda remembered to do while they were here (I swear, you'd think that our children led sheltered lives and that we never had people over.) she didn't think to remind me to take a picture! I think that I actually forget to take more pictures than I remember to take. Well, you've all got imagination - go to see Fiona and then imagine her really happy with the above linen sweater. Got the picture in your head? Perfect - that's just like it was! Give yourselves a hand, you're a great audience!!
Stock had their start up meeting. Now, not that these meetings aren't very informative - they are. It's just that they start late and the imparting of the information is, well, not all that riveting
and it just keeps dribbling out. Like Chinese Water Torture. Knitting keeps these meetings bearable and me from going insane. Here is what I have to show for 2+ hours (well, I have my run sheets & route # and a nice t-shirt too, but let's keep our priorities straight here). I'm sure that the line where the stitches sat on the bench waiting to be sent into the game will block out.
I started on a lovely scarf set for Elann today.
(And when I say today, I mean we're done pretending that it's Monday - it's Saturday again.) It's a Heartstrings pattern out of a nice laceweight mohair from Elann. It's not on their site yet but I'm really looking forward to seeing the colour range.
I took a quick pic of this moth that Amanda & I saw on our way through the BK drive thru. Not invisible camo, but I thought that it was beautiful. 
There is inspiration for something in this picture, I'll let you know when I figure out what it is!
Well, I lost the run that I had last year. In case you weren't around then, this was a nearly perfect run. I only had one school in the morning so I was back home in time to get Amanda to school and in the afternoon Kyle was home before Amanda and watched her for about an hour before I got home. As perfect as I could probably get.
I kind of knew that I was going to lose it though. Several runs had been cut and those drivers had the pick of the run of the least senior driver in their "zone". Being my rookie year it stood to reason that my run was at risk. I tried to convince Shelley that my run really wasn't all that great but no dice. So I have spent weeks wondering and pondering the kind of run that I might get and if I would have to find some other way to earn a buck. Amanda just isn't old enough to get up and off to school on her own yet and teachers frown on children showing up late every day so I have to make sure the run fits.
So, this run is one school - morning & night with a noon run as well. I won't have room for Amanda but I don't have to leave until 8:00AM so I can get her up & ready then she can be alone for a half an hour until the neighbours are ready to go and they will come and get her (they did this last year too so that's not new). If for some reason they don't go to school I will get home in time to take her myself. After school I will be home about 4:00 - an hour earlier than last year! AND ... this is a van run!!! Do you know how many drivers have to die before a van run comes up for grabs for someone as low on the seniority list as me? Let's just say that we are talking about a disaster - not just an unfortunate incident or woeful tragedy - at a company event. Thankfully this didn't happen, but you get the idea of what a remarkable happenstance this is.
So, I can :
1. Park at home. Cleaning off, starting and warming up a gasoline van is so much easier than a diesel bus.
2. Sleep in. Okay, 7:15AM is early compared to 10:00AM but it's way better than 5:45AM.
3. Relax. It's still work but 6 kids instead of 40+ kids - hell yeah, that's what I call relaxing.
4. Work less. Overall I'd say I'm putting in about 2 hours less per day. Yes, I'll not get paid quite as much but more sleeping/knitting time for me and all things considered, I'm more than happy with the way the scales are balancing.
5. Drive in town. 2 of the stops are just outside of town, but otherwise this is a town run. Winter driving on extreme rural roads are a thing of the past. 
Only my friend Ada is happier about this than I am!
I don't believe that any driver would ever say - out loud - that they are "more" of a driver because of the vehicle that they drive, but the sentiment is a subtle undercurrent. I still have to maintain a B licence and can go into a bus or short bus anytime - it's more of an unspoken thing among drivers. But I don't care - this is the perfect run and they will have to pry the keys for the van out of my cold, dead hands before I give it up. I will retire on this run. Unless of course the ever unpredictable School Board shoots me down, but I'll just take it year to year.
I am really pushing through Fiona's sweater. I'm going to block out the body tomorrow, so I'll try to take a picture that I can post. The linen is a bit hard on my hands but I'm getting better at remembering to use the bottles of hand cream that I've got all over the house. Then it's on to a scarf set for Elann out of a Kidsilk Haze type yarn. I don't think that it's on their site yet, but I'll let you know when I see it.
The knitting? Coming along just great. Pictures? Sure, uhhhhh, errrrrr, ...
Hey! Is that a Very Funny Ad over there?
after school. She also made the necklace that she's wearing. 
Beading is the hot thing right now - you can tell by going into Michaels and walking up and down 3 aisles + the end displays of beading supplies.
My grandmother always talked about the moon and different colours and what they portended. She absolutely lived by her Farmers' Almanac. A bright ring of light has to mean something - a harvest moon? impending Apocalypse? another Fastest Knitter win? Someone help me out here!!!
